Jar or can holder



Feb. 13, 1923.

- 1,445,441 B. LAURITSEN JAR OR CAN HOLDER Filed Aug. 19, 1922 I5 pfvan. Lauritse INVENT WITNESSES rarest BERTRAN LAUBITSEN, OF MARVIN, SOUTH DAKOTA. v

JAR 0R CAN HOLDER.

Application filed August 19, 1922.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, BERTRAN LAURITSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marvin. in the county of Grant and State of South Dakota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Jar or Can Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to jar or can holders. i

- The object is to provide a simple ,cheaply manufactured and easily operated device especially adapted for domestic use. whereby-a fruit jar or can maybe rigidly held in position upon a table or other support, while both hands of the operator maybe employed in applying the screw cap in position thereon or in removing the same in the usual manner.

. Another object is to provide a device of this'character having cushioned means for frictionally holding the jar or can from turning, which, when glass jars are being "operated on, serve to hold the same with sufiicient force to screw or unscrew the cap ordinarily, but which will permit turning' of the jar before the breaking point is reached when more power is appliedto the cap than the jar will stand.

A further object is to provide a'holding means for jars and the like which be adjusted to receive jars of different sizes,

andwhich may be easily and quickly re leased from the holder when the operation of applying or removing the cap is finished by the simple swinging of a lever.

' A full and'complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description,

taken iniconnection with the accompanying drawiugforming a part of this specification, it being understood that while the drawing shows a practical form of the invention, the latter is not to be confined to strict conformity with the showing thereof but maybe changed or modified, so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention, as specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawinggin which similar reference characters: designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures Figure 1 is a perspective view of the jar or can holder in applied position on the edge of a table and shown holding a jar;

Serial No. 583,057.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device, the jar being omitted; and

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the device the cover plate being removed.

In canning or preserving fruits, vege tables, etc., it is generally diflicult to hold the jar with sufiicient power to apply the screw cap tight enough to properly seal the same, and this'is doubly so when the ar is filled with hot contents and the cap must be applied immediately. Difficulty is also encountered in removing caps from jars when it is desired to use the contents thereof, for

the reason that the glass jar slips through the said body member being rectangular in cross section,'and provided in its upper face with a longitudinally disposed channel 2 extending from end to end of the same. The channel is formed atone end with a slightly depressed. rounded bottom and at the other end terminates in an inclined wall 4 connecting with a short horizontal wall which terminates short of the end of. the

body member in a vertically disposed wall 5. thus forming, in effect, spaced side plates at the end of the body member. 1

At the center of the body member the side walls of-the channel 2 are somewhat closer together than at the opposite ends of the same; to form guiding or bearing faces 6 for a purpose to be explained, and the lower face of the said body member is provided with a depending arm 7 located at the center of the same, with its outer face flush with the side wall of the body member and its inner face arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the body. as indicated in dotted lines at 8 in Figure 3. The lower end of'the arm 7 carries a horizontally disposedclamping plate 9 arranged at an angle to the body member, and provided with a threaded aperture for the reception of a clamping screw 10, which is adapted to engage the underside of a table 11, or other support, as clearly shown. in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing. The angular disposed wall 8 positions the body member at an angle relatively to the edge of the table top 11,

so that the end otthe channel having the depressed, rounded bottom 3 is located over the same, while the other end having the spaced side plates positioned outside of said edge. The bottom of the body member is also provided with a bearing surface T, located directly over the angularly disposed clamping plate 9, and the screw 10 is preterably provided with a swivelled disc or plate 10 to allow the screw to hold tightly without damaging the underside of the table top in a well known manner.

Mounted in the cham'rel 2 is a reciprocating 'ilunger rod 12 which is adapted to freely slide longitudinally between the bearing faces 66,' and said rod is provided with an enlarged end 13 fitting the rounded, depressed bottom 3 of the channel and extending beyond the end of the same, where it is provided with a flared head 14; having its outer end face 15 curved to a jar and provided with a. layer of felt '16 or other padding material.

At the opposite or inner end, the plunger rod 12 is provided with an eye- 17 normally locatedadi'acent to the upper end of the inclined wall t, and to this eye is connected the inner end of a wire bail or link 18, the

sides of the said eye 17 beingred'uced so as to allow ample space between the side walls of the channel for the said link to freely slide longitudinally therebetween, as clearly shown in Figure 8. The outer end of the link is connected to the short end 19 of a bell crank lever 20, whos'e-other and longer arm is formed into a thumb piece 21 adapted tobe swungabout the pirot'22 traversinn; the lever at the angle or the same, and

theatoresaid side plates at the end oi? the body mieniber. When the lever 20 is released to allow the 'pllin'e'er to project the enlarged end 13 beyond the adjacent end of the body member, the thumb piece extends outwardly from the end of the body-member, and when the le'verlis inthe other position, the'inner edge of the thumb piece strikes against the vertical wall 5 in the body member, and the plunger is locked in its innermostposition,

"with the link 18 restii'ip; across the pivot pin 22 against the resistance of an expansion spring 23, whichis in surrounding relation tothe portion 12 otthe 'plun} re1', and abutting its ends against the inner end of the enlarged portion '13 thereof andthe inner end oi? the depressed portion 3 of channel. W' hen thelo'cking lever 20 is syjung to the position shown in Figurel, the said spring 23 forces the'jar enga in hea'd '14 outwardly to frictionally" engage the side of s jar 24E, as in Figurelyafter the same has been placed Within the encir member, as by a rivet 26. The inner face of i.

the band 25 is provided with 21 facing strip 27 of felt of similar material for engaging the jar 24c, in opposition to the strip 16 of the plunger head 14:, and the other or free end of the strip 25 is extended 'alongthe opposite side of: the body member, and is passed through a vertically disposed keeper loop 28, and provided at its terminal with an eye 29, which is adapted to be engagedwitli one of a series of books 30, 31 and 32 sopositioned on the side of the body member as'toenable the loop portion oi": the clamping ban'd'25 to embrace a pint jar, a quart jar or. a twoquart jar respectively, as will be readily understood. V i

A cover plate 33 held by screws 34 is attached to the top of the body member across the channel and extends to the inclined wall 4, thus serving to hold the plunger and spring in position, ample space bein-g thus provided for theswinging movement of the link 18. 1

With the eye 29 0f the clamping band engaged with-theiproper hook to fit the size of the jar to be; operated on, and the plunger retracted into thebody meniber and locked therein against the expansive force of the spring 23, with thethumb piece of the bell crank lever bearing'ag'ainst the wall '5, the jar 24 is'then placed on'the surface of the table 11 and within the said band. By merely forcing thethumbpieoe rearwardly and upwardly, the spring 28 Will cause the head 14 to engage the "jar with sufficient force in opposition to the band-25, to enable the OapEZ P to he'either screwed-on or ofi of the mouth of the a'r.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple, cheaply manufactured, and easily and quickly operated cap removingdevice has been provided, which may beclamped in position ontheoverhanging edge or a l ritchentable or other supporh'a-nd that the i one endof the plunger, a lever' connected to the other end'of the plunger 'at the end 0t the base meh1ber, a'ltlexibleupadlied band at one endto the base member, and

means 1 for adjustably connecting the other end to -the base nieinher. 2. A jar or can holding device comprising an elongated base member adapted to be clamped to the edge of a table and having a longitudinally disposed channel therein, a plunger arranged in the channel and extending beyond one end oi the base member, said end having a flared, curved and padded head to engage a jar'or can, a flexible, padded metallic band secured at one end to the end of the base member adjacent to the plunger head and adapted to surround the jar or can, the other end being adjustably secured to the opposite side of the base memher, a hand actuated bell crank lever pivotally mounted in the opposite end of the BERTRAN LAURITSEN. 

